Gukesh becomes youngest challenger for world chess title

Like a whiff of fresh air in the summer heat, D Gukesh crowned himself in a blaze of glory as “black” magic, the colour of his pieces on the 64 squares, enabled him to win the Candidates Chess event in Toronto.

- S KANNAN

The triumph propelled the 17-year-old Grandmaster to become the youngest challenger for the world title, eclipsing a milestone established by the esteemed Garry Kasparov 40 years ago. The Russian great was 22 when he qualified in 1984 to clash with compatriot Anatoly Karpov. He also became the second Indian, following in the footsteps of the great Viswanathan Anand, to claim victory in the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament. Anand, a five-time world champion, achieved this feat in 2014.

At close to 6 am India time on Monday, Gukesh could smile, at last. He was told by his father that he was the winner after he had drawn his last game with American Hikaru Nakamura. The result for Gukesh depended on another board, where Fabiano Caruana was up against Ian Nepomniachtchi.

To be sure, after Gukesh had drawn his game, he left the hall. It had been a hectic and tense Sunday in Toronto, though his face did not convey any stress or strain. Later, Gukesh spoke about how tough it was. He had lost the seventh round but fought back brilliantly. The black pieces are considered to be tough, but he has mastered them.